Priority is claimed with respect to German Application No. 199 35 270.4-21 filed in Germany on Jul. 27, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a central console for vehicles having a ventilated storage compartment.
In the case of a known central console of this type (Mercedes E-class saloon), at least one air duct, which opens out into a rear central nozzle at the rear end of the central console, is guided past on the lower side of the storage compartment and has a duct-wall opening which is congruent with the air inlet in the storage compartment. The control device is designed as a pivotable siphoning-off flap which, when closed, closes the air inlet and, when the air inlet is opened, protrudes into the air duct siphoning off, towards the air inlet, some of the air flowing in the air duct and thereby reduces the air-passage cross section of the continuing air duct.
The invention is based on the object, in the case of a central console of the type mentioned at the beginning, of ventilating the storage compartment without adversely affecting the cross section of the continuing air duct.
The central console according to the invention has the advantage that the integral duct expansion arranged upstream of the air inlet causes the air to pass into the storage compartment in a favourable manner in terms of flow, and the duct section which is guided past the air inlet keeps its original duct cross section without any change. Because of the arrangement of the air inlet in the end wall of the storage compartment, specifically directly in the vicinity of the side wall past which the at least one air duct is guided, the air can flow through the storage compartment without any great deviation and can emerge again out of the storage compartment at the opposite end.
Advantageous embodiments of the central console according to the invention together with expedient developments and refinements of the invention are specified in the further patent claims.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the maximum cross section of the widened portion of the duct is matched to the cross section of the air inlet, and the duct is widened by means of a curvature in the duct wall situated closest to the longitudinal axis of the central console.